Tips to business success

Here are the top 10 things successful business owners are doing
in today’s economy:

1) Forget about the state of the economy. Pay
attention to how it changes your customers’ buying behavior, but
don’t let the gloom and doom get you down. If you sell products or
services that are truly helpful or useful there will always be
people willing to buy. Small business owners are leading the charge
to help turn this economy around. We need to do this one business
at a time. Be positive and move forward.

2) Offer something new. If people aren’t buying
what you’re selling, but they used to, that’s a sign something
needs to change. The knee-jerk reaction is to simply cut prices.
But that devalues what you offer. Instead, try adding value by
creating new packages out of products and services you already have
or update what you are offering. Even better, bring something
completely new to the table – conduct a workshop, write an article,
sell a new product or product bundle, partner with other businesses
that complement what you are doing. Think “out-of-the-box” – this
will help you stand out.

3) Stop guessing. Find out what your prospects,
clients and customers want then give it to them. Do this by
surveying your people in person, by using a short, written
evaluation, or via e-mail using a no-cost service such as Constant
Contact. The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber has teamed up with
Constant Contact to be able to offer a free trial of their
services.

4) Embrace technology. The World Wide Web is no
longer the Wild, Wild West, but there’s still plenty of room to
make your mark. And all the social networking tools make it super
cheap to market your business effectively. So get out there and
give it a go. It doesn’t matter the size of your business, every
business needs to have a Web presence. You’ll expand your customer
reach, get your business wisdom further out into the world and
maybe even discover it is fun. The chamber offers classes on Web
sites, social networking, along with experts to bring you up to
speed on communicating with potential customers.

5) Build your list. You need a list of past and
current customers, as well as a list of prospects, that you keep in
touch with. That way people get to know, like, trust and remember
you. You can do this the old-fashioned way by collecting contact
information over the phone or in your office or store, then sending
out print materials. Or, you can do it the modern way by having an
awesome offer and sign-up system on your Web site, then staying in
touch via e-mail. Become a fan in social media to help attract and
keep others updated on the latest happenings in your business.
Collect business cards. Everyone you meet is a potential client.
Even if they are not ready to buy right now, it is the
relationships you build today that will bring them back.

6) Provide value. The days of the pushy
salesperson are going, going, gone. Nowadays people don’t have
extra cash burning a hole in their pocket. So they expect good
value for their time and money. Focus less on selling your
products and services and more on how you can be a helpful problem
solver in all your marketing and you’ll get better results. The
Ahwatukee chamber is one of the best values for business today.

7) Embrace mixed-media marketing. Silver
bullets don’t exist when it comes to marketing. Instead of focusing
on one media or tactic, create a strategy and plan that uses as
many as you can to reach your people. For example, send postcards,
letters and gifts, write a weekly e-newsletter, host monthly
seminars, post articles, audios and video online, write a blog, go
to live networking events and more. Get involved with your chamber.
It is the No. 1 place to do business in Ahwatukee.

8) Keep learning. Times and technology are
changing fast. It’s up to you to stay on top of what’s new and
what’s working now. But you can’t do that if you’re always buried
in your business. Attend a “Brown Bag Lunch” seminar at the
chamber. These are quick 90 minutes of learning with guest speakers
with easy tips to implement in your businesses today. Attend our
weekly Marketing Tips Morning sessions. It’s free. Wednesday
mornings at 7:30 get 90 minutes of marketing tips with questions
and answers to your specific business.

Not a morning person? Try our Business Builders Group – the
first and third Tuesday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. You will
learn hands-on business tips from a two-time International Business
Coach of the Year over your lunch hour. Best of all: It’s free.

9) Stop doing it all yourself. This is a
biggie. The people I know who have successful, growing businesses
and fulfilling lives have figured this out. And it’s even truer in
the Internet age.

Face it, you don’t have time to become skilled at doing
everything it takes to market, grow and run your business –
especially online. Eventually you’ll hit a wall, business growth
will stop, and you’ll be exhausted and burned out.

The solution? Even if you don’t have the money to hire an
employee you can afford to contract services out. It is
like having your own personal assistant. The chamber can help
provide you with referrals to help you revamp your Web site, set up
and manage your blog or e-mail newsletters, handle your social
networking, automate your marketing and much more. Check with the
chamber first on whom we would recommend. Don’t take someone’s word
for it. The chamber has the answers you need for your business.

10) Don’t forget to advertise! We all get
caught up in social media, new ways to communicate but we sometimes
forget the most obvious one – our local newspaper. Your local
newspaper can provide you with key insights to what the Ahwatukee
community is all about. It is important to build relationships with
your local reporters and sales people during the good times and
really rely on their expertise and knowledge in the lean times. New
chamber business members receive exclusive free advertising for
your company. Some restrictions apply. Help keep the local economy
growing and advertise in the newspaper.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce is committed to
growing our local economy one business at a time. Building
Business. Building Community.

Terri Kimble is president and chief executive officer of the
Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at
Terri@ahwatukeeChamber.com.